Colour of
by AdventWing
Summary: ...We found happiness where we could...and dealt with sadness when we could." Sayoko finds herself on Jeremiah's orange farm. Shippy One-Shot fluff. Orange/Sayoko, Sayorange


A/N: Holy shit can you hear it?  
I mean, just listen okay-  
ORANGE x SAYOKO END, ORANGE x SAYOKO END, ORANGE X SAYOKO-

Ahem. Props to Songofthehawk - the drabble was pretty inspiring to me.

_Eating an orange  
While making love  
Makes for bizarre enj-  
oyment thereof._  
-Tom Lehrer

_Who do you think is in the kitchen, making the juice?_  
-unknown

With his heat-soaked body cooling under the shade of a tree, Jeremiah Gottwald, once and always knight, was thinking that today he'd break his rule, and have a glass of juice before the day's harvest was over.

It was another glorious day on his plantation - the kind of day where most people would just sit back and relax, and let their worries slip away on the late spring breeze.

Not Jeremiah. As his thoughts often did when he rested, they wandered, back…to the Zero Requiem.

And the self-satisfied smile slipped from his face the way a passing cloud blocked the midday sun.

It had taken months to accept Lelouch's plan – days and weeks of furious pleading, denials and frustration…until he'd finally realized his liege could not be swayed…and that he was thus hindering him with his refusal to cooperate.

He'd come a long way, he mused, trekking through the events that made him an orange-farmer…and the man he was now.

The world had moved since then…and what became of Nunnally vi Britannia, Suzaku the Knight of Zero, C.C. the grey witch, The Black Knights, The Chinese Federation…the world…was-

He cocked his head upwards as cyborg senses went wild – someone had arrived onto the plantation. Was Anya back already?

He stood, walked away from the tree, out the rows and rows of bright fruit and onto the dirt road that served as the only connection between his plantation and the rest of the world.

She clutched a small travelling bag in front of her, and was wearing a light summer dress over her petite frame and a hat over her neat, dark brown hair. She stood as if in waiting; like she knew he was coming, and with a poise that had been trained into her since young.

"Sir Gottwald." The young woman greeted quietly.

Jeremiah roamed her form in surprise as he made sure it was her. "…Sayoko Shinozaki…"

_**The Colour of**  
By AdventWing_

"Nunnally would have none of it."

"Indeed." Jeremiah nodded, placing a plate of this morning's bread and assorted fruits to accompany the juice he'd provided. "And she sent you here?"

At this, Sayoko hesitated. "She…suggested I come here."

_Suggested? _"For what purpose?" he asked gently. _Am I needed once more? I am ready._

Sayoko turned her soft brown eyes to his orange one. "I…was hoping…you could tell me that."

Jeremiah eyed her carefully…she was looking fairly worn – and not from travelling. He conjured up a surprisingly vivid image of her when they'd first clashed. His gaze softened - worn was definitely the word to use. Nunnally had probably decided that she needed a break…and yet gazing at the lackluster look in her eyes…he wondered if that was her only intention…what exactly had happened for Nunnally to send away her most trusted attendant?

"I…wonder," Sayoko began hesitantly, voicing the thought that had struck them both. "…Why she-"

"—My lady," interrupted Jeremiah, and the use of an honorific startled her. "Why not stay a while?"

Sayoko blinked up at him in surprise. "Stay?" _Here?_

"Anya will be back soon…and soon it will be summer. Nunnally may decide to come here as she did the last year…perhaps she intended to send you ahead?"

He watched she she rubbed her thumbs in thought. "I..."

Walking over he knelt and took her folded hands. "What do you say?" he asked, pressing a peeled orange to her.

Sayoko, a complicated look on her face, broke off a piece and took a bite of the offered fruit. Jeremiah allowed himself a smile – he'd noticed early on that the simple act of eating a fruit could ease the lines across one's brow.

She nodded, placing the rest of the fruit on a plate.

"I think…I will."

--

For literally the hundredth time, Sayoko wondered why she was here.

She was not used to hesitation. As the 37th heir of the Shinozaki School of Martial Arts…no…as Sayoko Shinozaki, every action she'd ever carried out was executed with an almost ridiculous sense of purpose.

No, she was not used to hesitation…which was why it was difficult for her to accept that every action she'd taken since leaving Nunnally's side was taken with a…_slight…_falter.

…_Why am I here? _She wondered sadly. Was Nunnally trying to tell her she was no longer needed? Was that why she was sent ahead to Sir Gottwald's home?

"Could use a bit of cleaning," Jeremiah said, glancing at the layer of dust on his finger with disdain.

And…Jeremiah Gottwald was a very…curious man to her.

They hadn't had much time to talk before this, she and Jeremiah…and yet, she felt the oddest stirrings of—she frowned—interest, for lack of a more descriptive term. One or two fierce encounters, and a quiet conversation amidst the chaos…and then…the…the Zero Requiem, and its aftermath.

They'd both worked together briefly after the Requiem, but those early days and months were a blur in her mind. Their relationship had been cordial, some might even say 'good'…until he'd decided to become a farmer, and left.

It was just that…most of the time she observed him; she got this _feeling _like she had been the butt of a rather subtle joke.

For lack of a better explanation, she'd guessed it was a natural to feel so around someone as eccentric as him.

And yet…she couldn't say that was right….

…It was all a very difficult thing for her to explain – the way she felt around Jeremiah.

Like right _now_, as she stood in the doorway contemplating, he was cleaning the room she was to stay in. Rather well, she might add…but it made her _uneasy_ for some reason. He made her feel a lot of things actually. Confused, restless, intrigued, silly…right now, it was _uneasy. _

To summarize, she knew him and didn't, and it irritated her.

And so, to her, he was a curious man.

"Allow me," she began, out of habit. Her fingers moved of their own accord.

Jeremiah pulled the duster out of hands gently. "You are my guest." He said simply, and then he paused as if just realizing something. "Of course. You must be a proficient in these matters with your years of service." He frowned. The phrase 'years' struck him.

"Sir?"

"Sorry," he said, blinking out of it. "I would not presume to tell you I am more suited to this task, but allow me this at least."

"You're already giving me free room and board," she protested. "I'd like to be of help."

Jeremiah considered her, and nodded, smiling at her knowingly. "I'll return with the sheets and mattress." He called, striding out.

There! Right there! Why did she feel like she'd been the butt of a subtle joke?

It was…really fairly frustrating.

Sayoko found herself wondering about his blood-type. Maybe that would help her puzzle the man out.

If he still had a blood-type.

Maybe that was why?

She shook her head and began to work.

When he returned they worked together, and she found herself becoming more comfortable as they slipped into familiar roles.

"What do you think?" he asked when they were done. "Adequate?"

She nodded. "Of course…more than adequate." There was even a television…television…the next breath she took was soaked in despair-

-Dinner is at eight," he said, breaking her reverie. "You are free to explore as much as you'd like till then, I would provide a tour…but perhaps tomorrow?"

Reflexively. "Allow me to help."

"With dinner?" Jeremiah's grin was lopsided. "…How about a deal?"

"A deal?"

"A contest, rather. For fun."

She tasted both words carefully, found she liked them both. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"If my cooking is better than yours, you will have to live with eating it for the remainder of your stay. But if you think you can challenge me, then tomorrow, you shall cook dinner, and we will judge."

Cooking was not her forte. Still, she felt something rise up in her at the look in this man's human eye.

It looked like he expected her to accept.

"Agreed," she consented.

"Then you will rest for now?"

She nodded. "I suppose so…it was a long trip. Ah…thank you."

He bowed, and she anxiously bowed back. "Till dinner then."

The door closed behind him softly, and Sayoko stared at it blankly.

She wrinkled her nose.

Curious.

Unpacking wasn't difficult. She stored clothes in nearby wooden closet and drawers. Her kunai set and armour she stored under the bed.

And so she found herself sitting, hands folded in front of her, on her new bed and new room.

And she wondered, for the hundredth time, why she was here.

--

The dinning area was simple, separated from the kitchen by a wooden counter, and just a second away from the living room. The meal was excellent. She had a hard time telling him she thought she might do better…and told him so. He took her compliment and challenge graciously.

"Fine. I think a most fair judge will appear tomorrow anyway."

"Judge?"

Jeremiah just smiled enigmatically. "What would you like to do after this?" he enquired. "The television is an option. Anya has made sure I have most of the channels."

Television.

"I ah, I suppose I'll retire for now."

"At the risk of sounding stereotypical, would you like some tea later?"

"Tea?"

"We'll talk. I'd like to know what everyone's been up to…unless you disapprove."

"…I actually really like tea. Occasionally," she added, suddenly self-conscious.

--

He'd been unable to completely shed the side of his Britannian nature that had a love of large spaces and luxurious rooms. The master bedroom, where he slept, was hid from view, and the room she was currently in was perfect for entertaining a small group of close friends.

Beautiful cups too, she noted, taking a careful sip of the tea. "Ceylon!" she gasped.

Jeremiah grinned. "Indeed. I was lucky to bring a shipment with me. In fact I have a number of things stashed away that might surprise you."

That was the start…and then the conversation turned to the Black Knights...and then they found themselves totally ignoring the time as they chatted leisurely.

When the conversation strayed close to Nunnally and Suzaku, Sayoko became understandably less chatty.

And finally, when he'd looked at the clock, he found that two hours had passed.

"Already?"

"Shall I accompany you to your room?"

Sayoko shook her head, "No. That will be fine."

Back in her room, and ready for bed, Sayoko was suddenly aware that…the situation had been very reminiscent of how a man courted a woman in the world of Britannia.

She shook her head. Silly. The very thought of Jeremiah doing that was silly. She understood he had no such intentions, especially for someone like her. Her brow creased as she folded clothes and kept the clothes she'd worn for laundry tomorrow.

'Someone like her.' She didn't mean to put herself down. She glanced at the mirror self-consciously and then hurriedly glanced away. It was just was wrong. First of all, the man he was now would not care that she was Japanese. He always accorded her the same respect he would a comrade-in-arms.

It had stayed with her, his comment about them both following the path of Chivalry. She'd translated it to 'following your own path', whichever path she felt was right. It had served her well, in the bleak times of the Zero Reqiuem...but...after that...

Cheek pressed to her light orange sheets, she suddenly realized how soft the colour orange could be.

She shifted to stare at the ceiling.

Replaying her day, she marveled at how easily she'd been welcomed into his home...and how easily she became comfortable. She fell asleep like that.

--

He understood somewhat - their situations were startlingly similar.

No doubt, he mused - they both followed the path of chivalry.

He'd been a little lost in the months since the Zero Requiem. As the personal guard to the 99th Emperor of Britannia there wasn't much he could have done but go into hiding. He had refused however, stubbornly wishing to stay with Lelouch's next of kin. He couldn't be seen outside, but he always been prepared for the day he'd be needed, and placed himself in charge of Nunnally's security detail.

It was…a rather unpleasant and frustrating experience.

Nunnally talked to him most of the time via phone calls, and personal visits, Lelouch being the link between them.

They became friends…many of them became friends. Nothing brought people closer together than death, birth, and marriage.

One day, Nunnally told him she'd purchased some land and needed someone trustworthy to tend to it.

He sighed. She'd sent Sayoko here because she'd thought he could be of help.

He would try.

He'd always respected and admired Sayoko. In fact, he'd thought about her quite a bit since leaving Nunnally…and wondered what became of her. She was a mystery, one of the few he hadn't had the pleasure of getting to know personally, but enjoyed a certain rapport with professionally.

The one image he couldn't seem to erase as he drifted to sleep was the tiredness that marked her face.

--

The door opened to the very beginnings of summer and a young girl of sixteen. She dropped her heavy suitcase to the floor – she could carry it easily despite her frail-looking frame. Her hair was in its usual pigtails, she rarely wore it down, and definitely not on a summer day.

"Jeremiah!" Anya called. Her backpack was slung over her black tank top and white pants. Her taste had not changed much in the year since she had quit the Knight of Rounds. "Are you in?"

She frowned, placing the paper bag on the table. "…Where could he be?"

"Jeremiah!"

"Jere-" Anya almost dropped the camera she was going to use to snap a picture of Jeremiah, the first of many she'd intended to take. "The Ninja Maid."

"Lady Anya." Sayoko was equally taken aback. "Ninja…" True she was a kunoichi by training, but…

"What are you doing in Jeremiah's home?" the pink-haired young girl asked flatly.

"I…"

"She's my guest Anya. You've finished your exams already?"

Anya grinned. "Jeremiah!" She leapt at him.

Sayoko blinked.

"I have no idea what I'm still doing in that grade," Anya continued. "I'm well ahead of the curve…but Nunnally and Kaguya both say I should take the opportunity to experience high school. I mean, Kallen and Gino are there too but-

"Slow down. Are your exams finished or not?"

Anya sighed, her gaze bored. "Yes." She released him.

"You…adopted Anya?"

Anya shuddered like a pissed off cat. She turned to Sayoko slowly. "Wha-

"Well, I suppose I'm her guardian. She too had nowhere to turn to."

Anya didn't seem to like that, Sayoko noted. Wait a minute. "So the judge?"

"Is her."

--

Sayoko had no clue what the hell she was doing. Or why she'd suddenly taken up what was obviously Jeremiah's idea of fun and turned it into a life or death challenge.

Perhaps it was Anya constantly needling her about her abilities.

She had no idea the girl could be so annoying when she wanted to. She didn't know if it was the deadpan, bored way she made her comments, "oh didn't you use to be in housekeeping? Did that involve cooking?" or "But of course someone of your **age** would be an accomplished chef," or…

Damn it. She had her pride too.

--

"How is it?!" she demanded, ready to accept that Anya would be totally biased towards Jeremiah.

Jeremiah visible eyebrow twitched as he stared down at the food.

Food which he assumed he'd never see again.

Oh he knew them all.

The first course was roast pumpkin with braised puy lentils and warm maple syrup vinaigrette.

The second was vanilla poached chicken with herb risotto and vegetable broth…accompanied by loin of Highland Venison with roast swede and turnips, toasted chestnuts and cranberry juice.

The pudding was steamed treacle sponge with vanilla custard, accompanied by a Britannian cheese board, oat cakes, quince jelly and fresh fruit…mostly chilled oranges.

Anya looked like she'd been shot as she chewed a mouthful of venison.

"Well?"

"…It's good." She managed, her eyes glazed over like she was in pain. "You win."

Sayoko blinked. "Oh."

"Indeed." Jeremiah uttered. "I admit defeat…I could never cook these dishes. However it would seem we cannot keep the bargain the same."

"Er…why?"

"Well…I don't think you could…or should…cook like this every night…or even twice a year." She'd…actually used all the fine meat and materials he'd been saving. He shook his head bemusedly, thinking to when he'd agreed to her hurried request to use all the ingredients available.

Damn. He was sure all of it didn't mean _all of it._

"I…I'm sorry."

Jeremiah found himself chuckling at her shock and dismay. She looked like she'd just realized she'd run over a kitten. "Heh. It's fine. Isn't it Anya?"

Anya, still looking like she was eating with a gunshot wound, nodded as she sampled the chicken.

Jeremiah winked at Sayoko…and she found herself smiling. "It is…pretty good huh?" she ventured, taking a bite.

Anya swallowed unhappily in response.

"Alright then." Jeremiah began, raising his glass for toast. "This is now the official Shinozaki Sayoko Welcoming Party. Cheers."

Anya sighed begrudgingly as she raised her glass. "Cheers."

Sayoko beamed. "Cheers."

--

"Do you normally do all this work yourself?" she asked.

"I prefer to. It isn't that I dislike the company of others…I don't know. I've always enjoyed bearing the ah…fruits of my own labour." He chuckled at his little joke and his gaze wandered to Sayoko's.

He coughed at her troubled expression, like she was observing a particularly pitiful animal and wondering how she might help it.

"A joke." He said, turning to the ladder and the orange trees stiffly.

He threw a quick glance to the side and found Sayoko was still looking at him that way.

"Not a very good one, but of course, I wasn't trying…I'm actually rather witty when the situation calls for it…" he mumbled off.

A slow smile spread over her face. He was such a silly man.

When Jeremiah turned to place his harvest in a sack, Sayoko was there.

"I'll help you once in a while, like Anya does, if you don't mind." She said, holding out a sack out for him.

"…I'd like that."

--

And so time passed like that, waking up at dawn to find Jeremiah already up, and having breakfast with orange juice. Next was working in the fields till dinner, after which she might have watched television with Anya. If she had worked with Anya in the house though, chances were she'd spend her evenings having tea with Jeremiah.

Each night, Jeremiah slept easier, replaying the day and noting with a smile how much happier Sayoko seemed compared to the day before.

It was early on one such day, resting under Jeremiah's favourite noon hideaway that she realized, upon staring at his sleeping face, that she could now name the feeling she couldn't understand, and had labelled strange.

She was drawn to him.

Her brow furrowed. But she did not mean in looks, though he certainly attractive enough in her opinion. It went deeper – though she could not quite place it yet.

Had she met what they called a kindred spirit?

She really should ask Anya his blood type. She had to make sense of this somehow.

She lay down to rest beside him and dozed off.

--

One day, the three of them had been watching television…and a documentary on Lelouch had come up….a three night documentary.

It was nothing new.

The usual tirade of how much a villain he was, how much pain and suffering he'd brought to the world, Jeremiah could not deny they were facts, but the presentation only _barely_ concealed the producer's desire for more ratings.

They knew not the real Lelouch – probably no one knew the real Lelouch.

Jeremiah changed the channel.

"I-I'm heading to bed." Sayoko said suddenly.

"This early?"

"…Yes. Good night."

--

Sayoko did not speak much the next day…in fact, she seemed rather sick as she worked with Anya in house.

She went to bed immediately after dinner. He did not press her for tea.

She was worse the next day at breakfast. Jeremiah and even Anya enquired to her health, and Sayoko admitted to feeling a bit ill. She agreed to spend most of the day at rest.

That night, he decided to patrol the house.

He convinced himself that passing Sayoko's door was a coincidence.

_Scrape, scrape._

Metal? Was Sayoko awake?

He knocked quietly.

"Sayoko?"

_Scrape, scrape._

"Sayoko?"

_Scrape, scrape._

"Sayoko I'm coming in…Sayoko!"

The television in her room was on, but it showed nothing but static. It cast a ghostly blue glow around the young woman, who was sharpening kunai in front of it.

He closed the door behind them lest he wake Anya. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked as he approached. Turning off the TV, he suddenly realized what she'd been watching. "The documentary…"

Kneeling beside her, the light from her moon outside was enough for him to see the vacant, broken look in her downcast eyes.

"…I watch them all," she mumbled, not really to him. "All of them."

"All…?" All the documentaries on Lelouch? "But…why…?"

"I don't know. I…just…one day, I turned it on…and I couldn't stop watching."

He took the kunai and whetting stone away gently, and then took her hands into his own. "Sayoko…Lelouch…did you…" _Love?_

"L…Lelouch…" She whispered hoarsely.

"Sayoko…"

"…I watched them since they were young. Seven years. I was…just 19."

Jeremiah felt his insides twist as she struggled.

She hadn't grieved.

Her role as one of Lelouch's most important pawns demanded she put up with it. Her time in prison, only released when Lelouch had died. Nights spent watching footage of his death. Hearing his name dragged through mud and worse…keeping a stable front for Nunnally, who had screamed herself awake for weeks…he felt his teeth clench. Why had no one noticed?! Why had _he _not noticed?!

Perhaps Nunnally had, after she had been done grieving herself. Had noticed, and after a while, decided that it would be best to send her away.

"Why?" she ground out, her anguish lending an edge her words. "Why did it turn out this way?"

Jeremiah pulled her close. She did not resist. "Enough." He whispered hoarsely. _You should have talked to us._ "You…are so strong." He whispered. "But that's enough."

Sayoko, cheek pressed against his chest, bit her lip, struggling to keep it in. "I…"

"Enough." He commanded gently, his baritone voice soothing her frayed psyche. "Sayoko…you've done enough. Lelouch…is dead…and Nunnally…is fine now…so…you've done enough."

At that, one sob escaped her lips…one sob, and then the dam burst as she buried her face to muffle her wails. He abandoned the little space he allowed her, and hugged her fully.

"Thank you," he whispered into her hair.

"L…Lelouch…!"

--

Arms full of her huddled form, his back to the head of the bed, Jeremiah pondered her situation.

They'd all grieved in their own ways, when they'd realized. For some it had been the moment they realized it was Suzaku bearing Zero's mask. For many others, the process had occurred much after, upon realizing what he had sacrificed, and what they had gained.

But they _all_ grieved – it was something that was understood when their eyes met, understood, and let be.

Not Sayoko. She must have rejected grief fully, choosing instead to stabilize Nunnally. Sayoko had underestimated emotion, specifically her own.

She'd done this to herself.

"You are so strong." Not many would have the dedication to lock away their own feelings for their loved ones in a time of need.

Whether it had been right or not…that was another question. Her heart had been in it…and it had become this.

He empathized…it was so ironic how alike her situation and his were.

"That was dangerous," he sighed. "You decided you'd grieve later, but when the time came you forgot you were supposed to."

She mumbled something, and her stroked her brow and brushed her hair back till the crease disappeared.

"But it's over now. You've done enough. Lelouch…would not have wanted this for you…for someone who cared so much…and had the will and courage and _strength_ to suppress it for his sake."

Jeremiah eased the sleeping woman lower, and then frowned at a small noise of discontent from the woman in question.

"Sayoko?" he asked, and in her sleep she adjusted herself more comfortably. She wasn't gripping onto him, but for some reason he found difficulty in getting his hands to take hers off him.

_Later_, he decided, squashing the outraged voice claiming she'd be happier on the bed than on his chest.

Later, he vowed, but knew, with rising dread, that he'd be fighting to keep that vow till morning came.

--

Sayoko awoke the next day with difficulty. The realm of unconsciousness was like a swamp, it took her a lot of effort to pull herself out.

Sunlight, but no birds. Odd for a woman who awoke at dawn…and then she realized, she hadn't slept in two nights.

"Gottwald-" she began, remembrance crashing onto her like a flood. She glanced around quickly. There was a note with a simple 'good morning', a plate of waffles and eggs, and of course, orange juice.

--

Sayoko rushed down the stairs hurriedly, past Anya on the couch, and out the front door.

She reversed a heartbeat later.

"Where is he?" Sayoko asked, running a hand through her un-brushed hair.

Anya raised an eyebrow.

"Er, Sir Gottwald." She began, calming herself. "Is he in the field?"

"Yes—wait!"

Sayoko almost did not heed her, the best she could manage was a distracted "huh?" and the pause of her feet. Her gaze was fixed on the door.

"Give this to him," Anya suggested, giving her a tumbler of juice. "Maybe you can convince him that even a Cyborg needs to rehydrate…"

…and Sayoko was off. Anya watched her march out the door and to the plantation.

She rolled her eyes and measured how angry Sayoko would be if she found out she'd posted a video of her running like that online.

--

He hadn't slept.

So now, he was resting, as he always did at noon, under the shade of his favourite tree, thinking to himself that _today _was the day he'd break his rule about having that damn glass of juice before-

She was coming…now she was here.

"Good morning," he greeted, usual flair intact.

Her harried and rushed appearance was not helped by the bags under her eyes, but Jeremiah had seen her when she'd crawled back to Lelouch after FLEIJA's first launch and still thought her pretty.

"Have a seat," he said, indicating the ground beside her.

"I…" Why was she here again? This was not like her. She could have talked to him after a few more hours of rest, a shower, food, and-

"Is that juice?" he asked curiously.

Sayoko felt her world rock. "What?" _Juice?_ "Ah, yes." She held it out to him.

Jeremiah popped the tumbler open and sure enough it was refrigerated orange juice from yesterday. He sighed. He might as well. He unscrewed the top, and found one cup. "You won't sit?"

Sayoko sat. If she looked in a mirror she was sure she'd find strands of hair standing on end due to the mess her brain was in. Two nights without sleep and she couldn't keep up with…whatever the hell was happening now? Was she the damn 37th Shinozaki heir or not-

"Would you like some?" he offered, not having drunk yet himself.

Sayoko stared at the offered drink. There was only one cup. She blinked.

When she was younger, she'd read something about an 'indirect kiss' in a magazine.

She shook her head. Gods, how old was she?! She drank the cup down in one go.

Jeremiah watched blinkingly at the intense look on her face.

Sayoko took a great gasp of air after she'd finished it and glared at the cup like a vanquished enemy. _There!_

Her gaze caught Jeremiah and she flushed. "Ah…it was good. H-here."

"Hm." He murmured, accepting the cup. He poured more, and took a sip as Sayoko stared resolutely away.

In the time it took for him to finish, she managed to compose herself.

"Last night," she began. "I…"

Ah, Jeremiah decided. "Do you…remember much? I did nothing to dishonour you, of course."

Sayoko blinked. "Of…course." She shook her head to clear it, and it aggravated her headache rather than cure it. "No…I don't mean that…I…"

He sighed, taking her hands in his. Rather than resist, she was too busy thinking of the _other_ times he'd done this.

"Let it be." He said gently. "You owe me nothing. But…I would like it very much if you continued having tea with me after dinner."

Sayoko felt a deep feeling rise in her chest. "…I…I will."

"And…anytime you wish to talk…"

"I…I will."

"Then…that's all." He said.

Sayoko shook her head. "I…owe you at least thanks." She stood suddenly and then turned to him.

"Sir Gottwald…"

"…Jeremiah," he interrupted, rather uncharacteristically. The impulse just arose and he couldn't squash it. "I like that better."

"Better than 'Orange'?" she asked, a little miffed that said-thanks was interrupted.

His mouth twisted like he'd tasted something sour. "Much better, I'd say."

She giggled at his reaction. She'd take a page out of Anya's book and call him that more often. ...Perhaps with a stereotypical maid line. _Sir Orange, _she'd say, _Nunnally would like to speak to you. _He'd know she was teasing but probably not comment on account of politeness.

Jeremiah frowned up at her, but he couldn't hold it.

"And," she continued, "you should address me as Sayoko more often."

"Granted."

_Granted? _She smiled down at him. "…We're rather silly people aren't we? I mean we don't try to be."

He wrinkled his nose at being called silly. Was he? True, many had commented unfavourably on his attitude…back when he was wholly human…and a Purist. But come to think about it, he'd been called that by the Black Knights too…and by Anya. "We are?"

Sayoko sighed, and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. It was easy; she'd lived with the Ashford Academy Student Council of 2018.

One knee bent, she curtsied as best she could, as best as she had been taught since entering the Ashford's employment.

"From the bottom of my heart…I thank you, Sir Jeremiah."

His gaze softened.

Taking her hand gently, he went to one knee. "My pleasure…my Lady," he said, brushing his lips on the back of her hand.

Sayoko let him be, but couldn't prevent the mirth from showing as he looked up into her eyes. _What is with him and hands? _She wondered.

Jeremiah blinked at the look in her face and then Sayoko laughed at his dismay. He noted that the sound of her laughter was full and strong. "Did…I…er, offend you?"

"…It's fine," she said.

And as he released her, she found herself thinking how orange was such a wonderful color.

**Owari**

A/N:

This was meant to be a silly happy one-shot to wash away the chaos of R2's end. But then I found myself building a future for these memorable characters (all of them, if you noticed). Now that I think about it, I gained a deeper understanding, and appreciation of the series by writing this – I'm grateful for that, the alternative would have been 'omg trainwreck' + delete, like I'm sure many others might do…I'd hate that to be my last memory of a series and characters I've loved for two years. There might be more in the works, since it's all floaty up there now. I'm thinking Anya x Gino, and an angsty Zerozaku x Nunnally x Kallen.

It's kinda funny now that I think about it. They're a smexy couple but there was no smex. Hm.  
I dunno, they're just so reserved. I think I'd have fun breaking that wall down, chapter-by-chapter.  
But for now, I think it's cute to leave 'em like this.

Let's see, for Ninja Meido, for being awesome despite meagre screen-time, and for Orange-kun, for loyalty rewarded and being a totally redeemed character. I mean…_no one _hates Orange-kun now.

No one o.O


End file.
